Minnesota’s adult clubs sit at two extremes. Eight of the venues listed below are packed into a few blocks of downtown Minneapolis — the Warehouse District and the stretch of Hennepin Avenue that runs through it — within easy walking distance of hotels, theaters and the convention center. The rest are scattered: one in Duluth’s Canal Park, and three in villages so small that the club is a landmark by default. This split is not accidental. It follows directly from how Minnesota divides regulatory authority between cities and the state.
How the rules work
Minneapolis licenses adult entertainment through its business licensing system, and the key distinction is alcohol. A venue that offers entertainment to the public but does not serve alcoholic beverages applies for a Place of Entertainment license. A venue that offers adult entertainment and sells liquor, wine or beer for on-premises consumption must complete an On-Sale Liquor application instead. Under the city code, an “adult entertainment center” is an enclosed building or part of one where admission is charged for entrance or for food or beverages consumed on site, and which contains mechanisms permitting customers to view one or more live persons unclothed or in attire exposing the genitals to view.
The city also publishes conduct rules for customers. Patrons must remain fully clothed at all times, must abide by laws prohibiting indecent conduct, and must act respectfully towards entertainers and staff. They may not use derogatory or harassing language and may not enter dressing rooms or other non-public areas. The premises are subject to video surveillance. Minneapolis requires a “Know Your Rights” sign for entertainers to be posted.
Outside the cities with their own ordinances, Minnesota Statutes section 617.242 governs. Its provisions are strict on paper. An adult entertainment establishment may not operate in the same building as, or within 1,500 feet of, another such establishment; nor within 500 feet of residential property, regardless of zoning; nor within 2,800 feet of a public or private elementary or secondary school, or a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. Where the local government does not regulate hours, the statute bars opening before 10:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and bars opening at all on Sundays and legal holidays.
Crucially, subdivision 7 makes the statute a default, not a floor: if a county, town or city enacts its own ordinance, the local rule supersedes the state section, in whole or in part, and may be more or less restrictive. Subdivision 2 also requires an operator to give 60 days’ written notice before opening at a new location — to the city clerk, or, if the site lies outside city boundaries, to the clerk of the town board and the county auditor. That is the legal machinery behind the pattern you see on the map: authority over these businesses genuinely varies from one township line to the next.
Minneapolis
- Rick’s Cabaret Minneapolis — 300 S 3rd St
- Spearmint Rhino Minneapolis — 725 Hennepin Ave, MN 55403
- Déjà Vu Showgirls Minneapolis — 315 Washington Ave N, MN 55401
- Downtown Cabaret — 115 S 4th St
- The Seville Club — 15 Glenwood Ave, MN 55403
- Augies Cabaret — 424 Hennepin Ave, MN 55401
- Executive Lounge — 418 3rd Ave N, MN 55401
- Choice Gentlemen’s Club of Minneapolis — 254 2nd Ave N
Duluth
- Saratoga Night Club Duluth — 331 Canal Park Dr, MN 55802
Duluth is worth a note for legal reasons: the Revisor of Statutes records that enforcement of section 617.242 by the City of Duluth was preliminarily enjoined in Northshor Experience, Inc. v. City of Duluth, 442 F.Supp.2d 713 (D. Minn. 2006).
Rural Minnesota
- Fat Jack’s Cabaret — 1682 Wall Ave, Bock
- Dangerous Curves Club — 114 3rd Street, Boyd (near Montevideo)
- Lookers Gentlemans Club — 7919 US-29 N, Carlos
These three are hours apart from each other and from the Twin Cities. Expect to drive, and expect the surrounding area to offer little else late at night.
What to check before you go
- Whether the venue serves alcohol. In Minneapolis this determines which license the business holds, and the two categories are applied for separately. Confirm with the club rather than assuming.
- Opening hours, especially outside the cities. Where the local government has not set its own hours, state law caps operation at 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and prohibits Sunday and legal-holiday opening. A rural venue may keep very different hours from a downtown one.
- Current status and address. Local ordinances can supersede the state rules entirely, and licensing situations change. Call ahead before driving to a small-town address.